Lord Bolton showed notable generosity in this matter. Clearly, he understood the principle that giving people room to perform could yield great results. Instead of assigning a few random apprentices from the munitions factory, he allowed Felix to make his own selections.
In doing so, even if Felix chose poorly, no blame could be placed on Lord Bolton—it would be the fault of his own judgment.
The butler led Felix to the lounge where the apprentices usually ate and rested. The space was cluttered, with tools hanging along the walls. The strong scent of metal and machinery filled the air, a smell that Felix found oddly comforting. The room was filled with both male and female apprentices, most of them clad in simple work clothes, stained with grease and oil—typical for this kind of environment. Staying clean here simply wasn't possible.
There were quite a few female workers among them. Felix recalled that the factory in Oak Grove County had been similar in that regard. Though fewer in number than the men, women could still take on assistant roles and apprenticeships.
"Mr. Felix, these are all apprentices from the military factory," the butler explained. "They've each been here for different lengths of time. Please take your time and choose carefully."
"Do you have any background information?" Felix asked.
With a smile, the butler handed him a stack of documents. The first few pages were clearly marked.
Felix raised an eyebrow at the gesture. The butler responded with a courteous smile, "A small gesture from my master, Lord Bolton, to show his respect for you."
The marked profiles highlighted apprentices considered to be of good potential—clearly, Lord Bolton had given this some thought.
As Felix flipped through the documents, three individuals in particular caught his attention.
One was a young man named Feist, who had worked as an apprentice in the military factory for nearly ten years. He was roughly the same age as Felix, just a few months younger. What stood out in Feist's file was his family background: his grandmother had once been a worker representative in Londinium. His father had died during a worker protest, and his mother had abandoned him afterward. Now, Feist lived with his grandmother, and the two relied on each other.
Though his resume showed dedication and experience, the stain of his father's political past was undeniable. From a managerial perspective, it was a mark against him. No matter how competent he was, promotion would likely remain out of reach due to his "problematic" background.
The other two candidates were a brother and sister with the surname Hart. Their parents had worked in the same military factory but were killed in a workplace accident. Now, the siblings, aged sixteen and fifteen, lived alone and looked after one another.
All three individuals were of the Feline race.
"These three will do," Felix said, closing the file. "Have them report to my workshop."
The butler bowed politely, accepted the documents, and left to carry out the request.
With the apprentice selection settled, Felix made his way to the workshop. As he stepped inside, he couldn't help but admire the scale and completeness of the facility—Lord Bolton had indeed been generous.
On the table lay the blueprints for the piledriver spears. Felix picked them up and examined them closely. Remarkable—at the highest level, the equipment quality reached pink tier, with even the lowest tier classified as blue.
It was a shame that the piledriver spears wasn't considered a mechanical blueprint. Otherwise, Felix would have already met the requirements to advance to the fourth-tier mechanic rank.
About five minutes later, the butler arrived at the workshop, accompanied by the three Feline apprentices.
Leading the group was Feist, his expression uncertain, a trace of wariness and curiosity in his gaze as he looked at Felix. Behind him stood the Hart siblings, their clothes marked with oil stains. The older brother positioned himself protectively in front of his sister, his posture clearly that of a guardian.
They're making me look like the villain here, Felix thought dryly.
"From this moment forward, Mr. Felix will be your superior," the butler announced, one hand tucked behind his back as he produced three documents. "These are the official transfer agreements from the military factory. Effective immediately, Mr. Felix is your new overseer. Naturally, due to technical confidentiality, you are strictly forbidden from disclosing any internal designs or schematics from the military factory once you leave."
Feist looked baffled. He had been eating breakfast when the butler suddenly summoned him. Now, hearing all this talk of transfer and superiors, he couldn't make sense of the situation.
"I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand what's happening," he said frankly, turning to the butler. "What do you mean by all this? What exactly is going on?"
The butler, however, remained patient and composed. "You are among the more promising apprentices in the factory. Mr. Felix here is a partner of Lord Bolton. According to the terms of their collaboration, he has the right to recruit three apprentices to work directly under him."
Understanding finally began to dawn on Feist. His eyes drifted toward Felix, taking in his youthful appearance with mild surprise. Was this person—who looked no older than himself—truly the partner of a noble?
"I just want to know... will we have enough to eat?"
The question came from John Hart, his voice steady as he glanced at his frail sister, Lily, before fixing his eyes on Felix. His words were much more direct than Feist's.
Felix understood the type right away. People like John, who bore the weight of responsibility and hardship, were often loyal to those who gave them warmth and stability. In his past life, he had played games full of characters like these. Each NPC had different strategies for earning their trust—some responded to blunt honesty, some to kindness, and others to patience. He had even studied a specialized NPC strategy guide and had been a devoted reader of its every page.
Truth be told, NPCs weren't all that different from real people.
"You will," Felix answered.
"Then I'll sign."
For John and Lily, the place didn't matter. What mattered was staying together as a family and having enough to eat.
They were much quicker to accept than Feist.
Feist, however, still hesitated.
Seeing this, Felix turned to the butler and said calmly, "Could you give us a moment?"
The butler nodded in understanding, turned to leave, and gently closed the workshop door behind him.
Felix looked at Feist and asked, "Do you have any questions?"
Felix leaned casually against the workbench, arms folded across his chest. Compared to the formal air he carried during the earlier social gatherings, he now seemed more relaxed—almost informal. At this angle, he looked to be around Feist's age, which made Feist secretly breathe a sigh of relief. He had originally assumed that Felix was the heir of some prestigious noble family, and the pressure he'd felt earlier had been immense.
Yet even now, the quiet intellect that radiated from Felix reminded Feist that they came from different worlds entirely. He had only ever seen that kind of presence before—on the face of a professor he'd met during a visit to a school in the central district.
"Let me introduce myself." Felix glanced at Feist and then at the Hart siblings. "My name is Felix. I'm from Laterano, but currently based in Columbia. I serve as the Director of the Mechanical Power Department at Rhine Lab, a technology firm. I graduated from Trimount Polytechnic University, with a major in mechanical engineering, mechanical dynamics, high-energy physics, ecology, and Originium studies. I also earned a doctoral degree. Right now, I'm an emerging researcher in the Columbian scientific community."
The first half of his introduction was clearly directed toward Feist—and it stunned him. He hadn't expected the young-looking Sankta before him to have such an impressive background.
"As a researcher, I'm also a businessman," Felix continued. "I enjoy doing business and have earned a modest fortune. My income is stable, and I take regular vacations."
This part was more for John and Lily Hart. Felix understood that for them, academic accolades mattered little compared to the basic promise of survival and stability.
Feist scratched his head. "So... you're a doctor?"
"Call me 'Boss' in public," Felix said, waving his hand nonchalantly. "Privately, you can call me whatever you like." He looked at Feist and smiled. "So, are you ready to sign?"
"I can tell you have a passion for mechanical engineering. I'm willing to teach you—real instruction you'd never receive in the Arsenal."
Feist pursed his lips, then reached out and picked up the contract. "I want to talk to my family first."
"You mean your grandmother, right?"
Felix nodded, understanding. Feist gave a polite bow before leaving the workshop.
Outside the door, he found the butler still standing with his ever-present polite smile—and beside him stood his grandmother, her expression calm and composed.
"Eh? Grandma…"
Feist's grandmother, Catherine, was a worker representative and part of the Arsenal's management. In a sense, she was also his superior. Given that this matter directly involved Feist's future, the butler had wisely invited her to be present.
"I heard everything you just said," Catherine said.
The butler, knowing when to step away, excused himself to avoid interfering in family matters.
Catherine turned to her grandson and asked, "How old is he?"
"Hm… Looks about the same as me?" Feist replied uncertainly. He added, "But I heard from others that the Sankta are a long-lived race. Even in their fifties, they're still considered young… So he might be a lot older than me."
"Always listening to others…"
Catherine smiled gently and patted Feist's shoulder. "That gentleman is indeed a person of talent. It's no disgrace for you to work under him, Feist. The military factory won't fall short without one more worker."
"But… I'm a little worried about you, Grandma."
"Me? I'll be just fine."
Catherine let out a small laugh. "I'm still in good health. You don't need to worry about me."
"But Feist, Grandma respects your decision. You should think this through seriously, because this means you'll be leaving Victoria—leaving the land where you've lived for more than ten years."
"Feist, beyond Victoria, the world of Terra is vast. From now on, you won't have to rely on the words of others. You'll be able to explore it with your own eyes."
Feist lowered his head. He was at the age of youth and energy—an age when curiosity about the world naturally ran deep. He truly loved mechanical engineering too. Even during his apprentice years, he would build all sorts of little toys to give to his friends.
To leave the industrial zone of Londinium… and head toward a broader world?
---
"I've signed the contract. Please guide me from now on… Boss."
"Just call me Felix in private." Felix waved his hand casually. Feist looked a bit shy at first, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and a bright, refreshed smile appeared on his face.
"Understood. I'll call you Teacher Felix in private."
That title was just fine. After all, Felix fully intended to train the three apprentices before him into his own close-knit team of craftsmen.
He looked at Feist. "Still worried about your grandma?"
"Yeah…" Feist nodded without hesitation. "She's getting older, and she'll be living alone in Londinium. Of course I'm worried."
Felix smiled. "Well, as I mentioned earlier, I'm currently based in Trimount, Columbia. I have a friend and schoolmate there from Lungmen in Yan Country. Her grandmother lives with her now."
"If you can convince your grandma to go with you, wouldn't that let you take care of her anytime, anywhere?"
Feist's eyes brightened. "That's a great idea, Teacher Felix. I'll talk to Grandma about it tonight."
Felix smiled quietly to himself. If you want someone to truly follow you, you have to take their whole family along. That way, there are no lingering regrets or potential worries—and their loyalty would be secured to the greatest extent.
He had once considered whether to bring Susie and her family to Trimount, but it had felt unrealistic at the time. Moving an entire family to an unfamiliar land was a daunting task… though it would be easier once he had his own company.
"Alright," Felix clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the three apprentices. "Your job is simple: polish the materials I need. Today, we'll be working on a new type of lightweight mech developed in Columbia. It's the result of my recent research."
"I'll send you the schematics first, so you can begin familiarizing yourselves with the workload over the next month."
If Felix were to hammer the iron himself, he could complete these three simplified sets of armor within a week. But doing so would rob him of the opportunity to observe his three apprentices—what they were good at, and how they performed in the workshop. Now that he had mastered advanced knowledge in mechanical engineering, if any of them showed a genuine interest in the field, he was more than willing to pass on that knowledge.
Feist's eyes widened. The moment he received the blueprint, his enthusiasm flared. All those years as an apprentice hadn't gone to waste. His passion for mechanics and engineering allowed him to understand part of the design, and his heart began to race. If he could craft this… wouldn't that bring an incredible sense of accomplishment?
What struck him even more was the realization that this blueprint had been designed by Teacher Felix himself—a man with multiple doctoral degrees. In that moment, Feist was thoroughly convinced and full of admiration.
The Hart siblings also got to work immediately. Felix observed that Lily had a knack for interpreting blueprints. She might just be the type to further develop skills in anti-missile schematic design. John, on the other hand, showed an innate talent for estimating materials. He seemed naturally attuned to resource management, and his movements were swift and precise. The way he hammered iron didn't match his age—he worked with the experience of someone far older than sixteen.
They were, without question, a treasure he had uncovered.
Felix quietly began his own work. He carefully tucked the blueprint for the piledriver spears into his coat, keeping it secure. Tsk tsk… Now, only the steam-powered armor remained. Once he had that schematic in hand, it would be as though he had assembled his own Steam Knight unit.
When the time came, this equipment could be handed over to trusted Terrans or select players. That too would be a part of Felix's growing power.